Seat 96

The Seat 96 I know (and occupied) is in a first class rail car which services Central Europe. Several years ago I had flown into Vienna and was en route to Prague. I had calculated it was cheaper for me to fly direct to Vienna (Wien) and then to train it to Prague (Praha), as opposed to flying into Prague via several other European air hubs. The cost was a simple extra 4-6 hours of travel time. No sweat. But what I had not calculated was the benefit of viewing the world at a relative distance from a rail car.

First, I chose Seat 96 since it was in an empty cabin with four seats. I could sleep unencumbered -- I had complete freedom to do whatever I chose. Is not freedom what we Americans are all about? Second, sitting in Seat 96, by the window, I could witness countless picturesque European urban-to-rural, rural-to-urban transitions, if I so chose. And I did. As a result, I witnessed a parade of countless villages, dominated by prominent church spires announcing their village squares.

What are these places? Who are these people?

Over time, as the rolling hills and villages passed, I realized I had transitioned from northeastern Austria into a region best know as Bohemia. Is this somehow tied to Bohemian Rhapsody? We abruptly stopped. The train was boarded by Czech immigration officials looking to validate passenger credentials as a result of the border crossing. As I was to discover later, they paid little attention to me, as a US passport holder. I was the least of their worries. Romas, or? In addition, they were about to lose their jobs as the European Union was on the verge of incorporating the Czech Republic into its domain. The Czech Republic was becoming a member state in a larger federal union, a process which would erase its traditional internal border controls. (The European Union's Schengen Area now allows the free movement of persons amongst signatory states.)

Was the Czech Republic and Austria then becoming something like bordering American states? California and Oregon? There would be no need for passport checks at the border -- immigration control would be strengthened at the European Union's external boundaries. Breaking news -- Europeans are now free to wander about, mingle. Oh my.

Did we even notice? Our awareness of geography and the on goings in other countries, especially the subtle yet important shifts, is weak at best. I'm often asked how many kangaroos I saw the last time I was in Austria. And most of us stateside are uni-lingual. Immersing oneself in another culture can only be eye and mind opening. But it's also work.

More news, delayed. Gone is Czechoslovakia -- in 1992. It's the Czech and Slovak Republics, having split in what is termed the "Velvet Divorce", which speaks much to democracy. But that's another subject. I felt the need to catch up. I scurried to read up on Central European history -- the Habsburgs, the Holy Roman Empire, the aftermaths of both world wars, particularly how the Allies reshaped the post-1945 continent. Austrian neutrality. The Iron Curtain. The Prague Uprising of 1968.

Okay, I'm slow, though I am now learning. The world is changing, as it always has. And I now take detailed notes -- from Seat 96.